Expos Chair Jacques Menard said yesterday that the
reported C$15M that Expos President Claude Brochu "will
command" to sell his 7.6% share of the team "is in the
ballpark," according to Stephanie Myles of the Montreal
GAZETTE. Menard: "We have agreed in principle on a range
and a general figure that is about of that magnitude, as
regards the economics part. But a deal hasn't been signed
yet, and it hasn't been put to our shareholders -- much less
to [MLB]." Menard said that the timetable for buying out
Brochu and the 52 days remaining in the 150-day limit set by
MLB to put a new ownership group in place are "are
independent" of each other. He also said that former
Canadiens GM Serge Savard is "not waiting in the wings to
succeed Brochu." Menard added that "other significant non-
monetary issues still need to be resolved" before a deal
with Brochu is finalized, such as how the team will be run
until new ownership is established (Montreal GAZETTE, 1/13).
Expos' ownership group will meet today "to decide" whether
to offer Brochu C$15M for his share (GLOBE & MAIL, 1/13).
TIME KEEPS ON TICKING: In Montreal, Jack Todd writes
that the Expos "are running out of time" to assemble a new
ownership group and that the team has accomplished "little"
because of the slow pace of negotiations with Brochu. Expos
Limited Partner Mark Routtenberg "won't deny" that Savard
could possibly run the team, but said: "We have to know from
[MLB]. Is Claude Brochu the control person until a stadium
deal is lined up?" (Montreal GAZETTE, 1/13).
